PREVIEW: Cavalry FC vs. Valour FC – Match #84

Valour FC will exercise some old demons Wednesday when they head to Calgary to take on Cavalry FC at Spruce Meadows. It’s the first time these two sides have met since Cavalry’s record-setting 8-0 win at IG Field on Labour Day. Cavalry’s win stands as the largest in CPL history with Oliver Minatel, Nico Pasquotti, Jordan Brown, Julian Büscher and Nik Ledgerwood among the goals.
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Cavalry are coming off a bizarre York9 FC encounter just a few days ago. Tommy Wheeldon Jr.’s side was reduced to nine men after a pair of second-half ejections, only to find the net via Nico Pasquotti’s slick solo effort. The Cavs would concede late on, just to guarantee they face Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League Finals. The Cavs will be without Jose Escalante and Nathan Mavila after they were shown red cards in that match. The Lions, meanwhile, took on an 11-day break after drawing HFX Wanderers 0-0 on Sept. 21. At 4-6-4, Valour could finish as high as third in the CPL Fall standings as they were officially eliminated from Finals 2019 contention over the weekend. Both sides will be in action again on Saturday. Valour FC is set to host FC Edmonton (3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT/available on OneSoccer & CBCSports.ca) at IG Field. Cavalry FC will stay at home, set to take on HFX Wanderers (6:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. MT/available on OneSoccer).

• Running on fumes: Cavalry is a bit thin at the back currently, especially with Jonathan Wheeldon working back from injury. Joel Waterman, Mason Trafford and Dominick Zator played all 90 minutes – some of which shorthanded – against York9 as Cavalry’s only natural centrebacks. Wheeldon Jr. will likely be forced to play all three again Wednesday. Could these tired legs be a way in for Valour’s speedy attackers?​
• Front-facing: Valour’s attacking puzzle continues to be assembled and reassembled by Rob Gale, who again mixed things up in Halifax. Most recently we saw Tyler Attardo out on the wing, opposite Ali Musse. With Dylan Sacramento and Michael Petrasso potentially returning from knocks, and Macro Bustos all-but-guaranteed a spot, who knows how things will line up for Rob Gale Wednesday. These four matches will be good experimentation for Gale, though, as it could help shape his 2020 vision.​
• Camargo's return: On the bench Saturday, Cavalry’s number 10 could be ready to return from injury against, aptly, the last team he faced in CPL play on July 27. He was setting a record pace before the injury, with his 4.37 key passes per 90 over five times the league average – a stat that shows his ability to keep the ball in the final third. Much needed offensive dynamism for Wheeldon Jr. and co.​

Cavalry FC: Marco Carducci; Dominick Zator, Mason Trafford, Joel Waterman, Malyk Hamilton; Nik Ledgerwood, Julian Büscher; Nico Pasquotti, Sergio Camargo, Oliver Minatel; Dominique Malonga Valour FC: Tyson Farago; Raphael Garcia, Skylar Thomas, Jordan Murrell, Raphael Ohin; Dylan Carriero, Louis Béland-Goyette, Dylan Sacramento; Tyler Attardo, Michele Paolucci, Marco Bustos

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